Chapter 2: Getting Settled

Luna, already on board and en route to Ponyville, was deep in thought about her current predicament. Despite her willingness to give this “loosening up” a try, many reservations and much skepticism plagued her thoughts. However, it was only natural that she’d feel a bit apprehensive; for she was to change a large part of her personality, in a sense. Luna couldn’t help but wonder though… why would Celestia ask (or order her, rather) that she change an integral part of herself? Wasn’t it she that once advised her to be herself? This “task” would then seem somewhat hypocritical at first, but she took care to not judge so early. One thing that ultimately scared her was rejection. Not in the sense of friends or love interests (if she had any), but from her subjects as a whole. To be seen as an outcast by them was something she would not allow, and was her main drive behind her agreement to cooperate with this initiative.

“My, my, someone’s deep in thought…” a voice in Luna’s head interrupted her train of thought instantly, making her jump from being startled immensely.

“Don’t. Do. That. Tia! In the name of all that is frickin’ holy you almost gave me a coronary! And didn’t I tell you to stop reading my mind when we’re not in communication?” Luna replied in her thoughts, still reeling from the scare.

“I’m sure you did at one point. Either I don’t remember or I didn’t care. Most likely the latter.” Celestia replied.

“That’s very considerate of you, Celestia.” Luna said sarcastically as she rested her head in her hand.

“I’m your older sister. ‘Considerate’ isn’t in my job description, nor is it in my vocabulary in relation to you” Celestia replied with a tone that would reveal her grinning massively. Luna merely rolled her eyes.

“So it would seem”

“Luna, I’m not asking you to change who you are. Your personality is stellar for royal aond business matters, and to be completely honest, I couldn’t be more proud of you.” Luna’s heart warmed at the thought and she couldn’t help but smile a bit at the vote of confidence given to her by Celestia.

“It’s quite lovely to hear your praise, sister. I thank you dearly.” Luna thought back. The bonding moment was immediately shattered:

“Do you hear yourself speak at all? Like, seriously, do you listen to yourself? Did mom and dad send you to a boarding school to learn how to speak like that, filled with only you and Octavia?” Celestia added.

“How dare you! There is nothing wrong with the way I speak, and Octavia is a lovely woman, thank you very much!” Luna added.

“Oh I know that, Luna. I actually have her over fairly frequently for drinks. She just speaks in a similar manner to you, albeit you’re worse and sometimes I want to hang myself” Celestia replied.

“Hmph. Maybe you should do it then” Luna thought in a half-hearted sarcastic manner, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, and entrust the fate of the country to you in your current state? How about no?” Celestia retorted.

“Gee thanks, Tia… but if that’s the case with Octavia, why have you not sent her off to be ‘corrected’ for lack of better words?” Luna thought.

“Because unlike you, she knows how to have fun. Lightening up entails you not having to be so formal with everyone and that includes how you speak… it weirds people out!” Celestia countered. Luna grew frustrated and just wanted some quiet time with her thoughts at this point.

“Alright, alright! I’ll try not to be so formal with my speech; Holy crap… it’s always something” Luna replied indignantly. Just then, the chariot touched down.

“Well I hate to end this riveting conversation but I’ve arrived in Ponyville” Luna thought as she gathered her belongings.

“Righto. Have fun, and remember: I’ll be watching you” Celestia replied once more before her thoughts cut out. Luna sighed with relief and stepped out of the chariot in front of a familiar Ponyville Library. Dismissing the chariot, Luna sighed one more time out of apprehension and walked towards the door. Raising her hand chest level, she knocked on the door twice, only to hear it unlock and open not long after. Before her stood the young librarian and Celestia’s most faithful student. Twilight Sparkle stood about three inches shorter than Luna and donned a simple short sleeved white top with a medium length school skirt to complement her also slender build. Her top had a pink and purple star insignia displayed across the chest. Her hair was perfectly straight and lavender with a lone pink streak running from the top of her head down to her bangs. Luna did admire her appearance, for Twilight had matured physically since the last time she saw her.

“Princess Luna!” Twilight exclaimed with a beaming smile before she curtsied.

“Rise, Twilight Sparkle. There is no need for such formalities.” Luna replied, motioning for Twilight to rise. Luna found this ironic because she considered formality a virtue, but in all honesty she absolutely hated when her subjects bowed or curtsied before her.

“If you insist, Princess” Twilight said with a giggle. Luna smiled at the sheer happiness that radiated off of her. It put her at ease more with the situation.

“It is a pleasure to see you again, especially in better circumstances” Luna said as Twilight beckoned her inside the library.

“Oh please, Princess. The pleasure is all mine! Shall I show you to the guest room?” Twilight inquired.

“That would be lovely. I would rather put my things down before we do anything.” Luna said admittedly. Twilight smiled and nodded.

“Sounds like a plan. If you would follow me?” Twilight said as she turned around and began walking towards the stairs, her hips swaying slightly as she walked with grace and conviction. Luna did not follow immediately and found herself staring at Twilight, blushing heavily before she shook those foreign thoughts from her head, having no idea where they came from or what they were.

“What was that!?... Huh… odd” Luna said to herself.

“I know, that ASS, right?!” a voice entered her head.

“Oh shove it, Tia!” Luna thought back

“I bet you’d like to if you catch my drift, Lulu” Celestia replied back, starting to giggle uncontrollably at her crappy joke. Luna didn’t even grace her with a response, merely rolled her eyes as she finally walked after Twilight. She opened the door for the Lunar Princess and motioned towards the inside.

“I know it’s not up to standards for royalty, but I hope it will do.” Twilight said in a hoping manner. The room was a nice size with a fairly large bed and several night stands, plus a dresser. Luna loved the cozy feeling and aura that the room emanated.

“It will suit me perfectly, Twilight. You are opening your home to me for a great deal of time, and that measure of kindness is all I need to feel welcome and at home. Thank you, Twilight.” Luna said with extreme gratefulness and a sincere smile. Twilight’s eyes twinkled with joy and her smile could rival Pinkie’s at the moment.

“Oh thank you, Princess! I’m glad everything is perfect so far!” Twilight exclaimed, instinctively trapping Luna in a hug. This startled Luna, not because she didn’t like it, but due to the fact that no one other than Celestia had offered to embrace her in such a manner, or even took the opportunity to do so, rather. As stated before, most would rather not be near her because of the past. Luna began to blush again.

“Bow-chicka-wow-wow!” A voice sounded in Luna’s head at that instant.

“Shut. Up, Celestia!” Luna pensively replied  in the Royal Canterlot Voice, causing Celestia to shriek lightly in pain and cut her thoughts out. At this time, Twilight felt that Luna seemed tense and recoiled.

“Oh… I’m really sorry, Princess… It was force of habit, please don’t be-” Luna held up her hand with a grin on her face to calm Twilight down.

“Twilight, it is quite alright. I just have not been hugged in… a very long time. And please, call me Luna.” Luna reassured Twilight with a soft smile. That did just the trick.

“Oh, I see… well, I’ll have to make sure that that longevity isn’t repeated in the future, at least while I’m around. But I’m sure that won’t be a problem after tonight” Twilight said jovially as she proceeded to walk out of the guest room.

“What is planned for tonight, if I may politely inquire?” Luna asked, tilting her head to the side in inquiry.

“All of my other friends are coming over in a few hours and we are all going to have a sleepover!” Twilight answered as she looked back with her signature smile. Luna’s eyes widened in nervousness at anticipation of more guests she’d have to meet as Twilight walked away.

“I’m going to have Spike make some tea. Did you want some, Luna?” Twilight called back.

“Yes… tea would be very nice. Thank you.” Luna replied back as she rubbed her temples in anxiety and frustration.

All Luna could hear in her thoughts was a voice, snickering and on the verge of laughter.